Violin.



PATENTBD MAY 1, 1906. B. CARSON. VIOLIN.5

APPLICATION FILED 0GT.14, 1904.

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ERIC CARSON. OF HARLM, ILLINOIS.

VIOLIN..

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 1, 1906.

Application filed October 14, 1904. Serial No. 228,420.'

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ERIC CARSON, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at I-Iarlem, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Violins, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in violins; and its object is to produce a device of this class which shall have certain advantages which will ap.- pear more fully and at large in the course of this specification.

To this end my invention consists in certain novel features which are shown in the accompanying drawings as embodied in my preferred form of construction.

In the aforesaid drawings, Figure l is a section in the line l vl of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section in the line 2 2 ofI Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section inthe line 3 3 of Fig. 4 looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 4 is a section in the line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an end view of a portion of the tuning mechanism looking inthe direction of the arrow 5 in Fig. 4, a certain portion of the view being shown in vertical section taken in the line 5 5 of Fig. 4, and Fig. 6 is a fragmental rear view of the device with the rear doors removed.

Referring to the drawings, A is the neck of my improved device, which is made in the form of an ordinary violin-neck.

B indicates the hollow body of the instrument, the same comprising a back B, sides B2, and a top or sounding-board B3. An ordinary bridge and strings (not here shown) are provided, such as are used in an ordinary violin.

At the upper end of the body is a block C, to which is secured a channel-iron D, having iianges turned toward each other, as illustrated. Within this channel-iron is a laterally-movable bar E, to which are secured a plurality of strings F, preferably twelve in number. A door I) is provided in the side wall of the violin-body, through which this bar can be removed to attach strings when desired.

The strings F run over two bridges f f, which project downwardly from the top or sounding-board of the instrument and are secured to pegs g, which proj ect up through a plate G, Amounted on blocks at the lower end of the body. Below the plate G are channelirons G G2, staggered, as illustrated in Fig. 4. Each of the pegs g is provided at its lower end with a gear g, lying in one of the channel-irons and in mesh with a 4worm g2, the ends of said worms projecting out toward the rear of the body from the channel-irons G G2 and terminating in a set of square-headed keys. The staggered arrangement herein shown, which produces two sets of keys at different heights, is used only for the sake of compactness.

Doors b2 are provided in the side walls of the violin-body at the lower end, which can be opened to give access to the keys d2 for the purpose of tuning the strings F, and all but one of the keys are thus accessible. The single key which cannot thus be reached is the center key, which is covered by a plug G3 at the lower end of the violin-body and can be reached by removing the same. This plug extends through a sleeve g3, the outer end of which has a head which supports the tailpiece of the instrument.

In practice the strings F are tuned in a chromatic scale to harmonize with the regular strings of the instrument, so that whenever a note is played on the instrument one of the strings below the sounding-board will vibrate in unison with said note and greatly reinforce it. In this way the volume of tone from the instrument is very largely increased.

A lever H is pivoted to the bottom B of the body. At its forward end this lever carries a damper 7L, of felt or other material, which will prevent the sounding of the strings F when in contact therewith. The lever is operated by means of a knob t, connected with the lever I-I by a post h2. This knob h is in position to be operated by the chin of the user of theinstrument.`

I realize that considerable variation is possible in the details of this construction without departing from the spirit ofthe invention, and I therefore do not intend to limit myself to the specific form herein shown and described.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Iletters Patent- 1. In a device of the class described, the

combination with the body and neck of a vio-` lin, of a guide at the upper end of the body, a bar transversely movablein the guide through an opening in the side wall of the body, strings secured to the bar, suitable bridges over which the strings run, and means at the lower end of the body for tuning said strings.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with the body and neck of a vio- IOO IIO

limof L plurality of strings secured to the upapploaton for Letters Patent at Chicago, in per end of the body Within the same, bridges the county ol Cook Aand State ol Illinois, this over which the strings run, keys at the lower 25th day of August, A. D. 1904. end of the body and doors in the side Wall of ERIC CARSON.

5 the body through which the keys can be Vtnesses:

reached. H. J. BROWNELL,

In Wltness whereof l have s1gned the above l M. VAN DUYVENDYKE. 

